5 Minutes with Gary Tipping (DJ at the Sheffield Corporation’s Club SYN”)

As we were trying to make this the best “Dark” Culture magazine in the World all in one issue, we decided that a trip to one of the North’s biggest and best clubs for all things Goth, Industrial and Alternative was in order. So we went along to Club SyN at THE CORPORATION.

We did do some actual work and managed to catch up with acclaimed DJ, Gary Tipping to ask him a few questions about DJ’ing and of course, Club SyN to find out what is so great about it:

S) What’s the best thing about Dj’ing at the Corporation?

GT: One of the highlights of Dj’ing at SyN is at the end of the night when the house lights go up and you get a round of applause from the dance floor, this doesn’t happen every Saturday, but when it does it’s one of the best feelings on the planet. The people who come are great and really keep the place alive.

S) What about your home in Sheffield?

GT: There are so many great bands coming in and so much talent coming out of the City. To be honest I really believe Sheffield could be hailed as the hub of the Goth Culture in the North of England, with exception to Leeds and Bradford for festivals, I think that we are the place to be and we will be for a while.”

S) Are you happy that The Corporation in particular as a venue has a reputation as a premier place for Industrial and Goth culture in the UK?

GT: It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work but I am satisfied with what we have achieved so far, but we are only as good as our last gig and there is always room for improvement.

S) Best band you have seen while working?

GT: It might surprise you to know that sometimes I get to see maybe three songs from a show, as a lot of times I’m running around in the background sorting various things out. I am always busy but if I had to choose one it would be Rotersand when they supported Assemblage 23 – Their energy on stage was amazing, also they performed Exterminate, Annihilate, Destroy for the first time ever.

S) For budding Goth/Industrial DJ’s what tips can you give?

GT: Spend a lot of time listening to music, don’t just play what you like as you won’t have the same taste as everyone, it is easy to play big tunes all night, you need to mix it up, remember the big tunes were all unknown at one point, watch your audience, not just the dance floor but the ones who are stood around looking very confused, or sat down, do they look bored? If so what can you do to get them interested in the night? Remember everyone has paid to get in and have come for your night. OK there might be few instances when someone will ask you for something and you just know it won’t work, be honest and tell them, be polite to everyone. I went to one night where the DJ has said ‘I’ll never play that shit because I hate them’ I was shocked and needless to say that night didn’t last very long at all.

S) What do you love most about the Goth/Industrial scene, what inspires you, what feeds your passion?

GT: Discovering new bands, festivals in Germany and making new friends. I get a buzz when I open my inbox and there is an email from an agent offering me a band that I know people will pay to come and see. The tickets go on sale and they sell more than I thought they would, the band turn up, they are really nice people, the gig goes ahead, the band are amazing and the atmosphere is electric. SyN upstairs afterwards is packed with everyone having a good time and a big round of applause from the crowd at the end of the night. That’s what I do this for.

S) Anything to add Mr DJ?

GT: If you are into the Goth and Industrial scene then there is only one night to attend and that is Saturday night, with SyN upstairs. We are open other nights and play a variety of music for all the different alternative tastes out there, we love you all.